Synonyms Of Virginity

“Teen Models Auctions Virginity for $2.9 Million on Cinderella Escorts”

The headline of an article posted on November 6th, 2017 no doubt drew gasps out of many women and men who stumbled upon the article on a regular scroll through the internet, or more specifically, on the website Allure. Social media reacted accordingly, commenting, “How could a young woman sell something so precious?”, “Virginity is one of the most sacred things a woman can have”, and of course the typical gripe about sex workers being immoral and disgusting. Why do as a society place such a huge importance on an imaginary, and frankly damaging social concept? Virginity, in its entirety is one of the many antiquated and highly patriarchal ideas regarding the value of women

According to Google dictionary, Virginity is defined as “the state of never having had sexual intercourse.” Simple and scientifically true, but the second definition of virginity is, “that state of being naive, innocent, or inexperienced in a particular context.” Although virginity is used in other situations, this second definition still most commonly applies to the sexual experiences of women. The most arguably disturbing factor however, is the synonyms for virginity. Synonyms include: chastity, maidenhood, maidenhead, honor, purity, innocence…etc. The last three synonyms are where the problem with the word and concept of virginity arises. “Honor, purity and innocence.” Why is a woman considered honorable, pure and innocent if she is sexually inexperienced? Virginity in America is most commonly referred to during adolescent, every boy is dying to have sex, and many girls are too, but are repeatedly warned of the same sexual curiosity. Virginity is spoken of like it is inherently valuable for a girl to have it, and to lose it to someone that really matters to them. The difference is, a woman’s value in part largely depends on how “good” or “pure” she is while a man’s is

In ancient times, which in this analogy will be referred to as the shadows on the wall in Plato’s cave, women were seen as inherently inferior to men, and their only role was to get married and have children. Men owned women, they were passed down from their father’s possession to their husband’s possession, as symbolized in the traditional isle-walking during marriage, and dowries almost always being needed for marriage. The old sentiment was, that nobody wanted previously “used” property. In addition, because there was no contraception and heritage decided your level of respect in the community, virginity was a guaranteed paternity test. But of course, all these reasons for the invention of virginity pale in comparison to religion. It reinforced the other two origins of virginity and added the factor of shame. The Virgin Mary was idolized, and Eve was the bringer of sin upon man. Women were seen as seductresses that brought sin, and so they had to avoid temptation. A woman’s holy marriage represented her family’s honor, and so her “purity” was a highly valued commodity. This is a statement of value that spread as a societal way to further oppress women. It was and to some degree still is believed by men and women. They are the prisoners, and they saw “…only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave…” Because men were in power